The Ugliest Cars at SEMA 2011

The annual Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show is an annual gathering for car tuners and modifiers who want to show off their custom creations. We found 20 of the ugliest cars on hand at SEMA 2011.

Nov 7, 2011

Besides being a smorgasbord of new auto products, the annual Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show is also a gathering for car tuners and modifiers who want to show off their custom creations. Inevitably, some of the custom rides that show up to the Vegas show are incredible eyesores with unbelievably bad paint jobs. We found 20 of the ugliest cars on hand at SEMA 2011.

1 of 20

Yellow Spinosaurus

Here it is—the ugliest car of SEMA 2011. It looks like some hideous Transformers reject, or a giant yellow insect. There's just nothing right about this car-truck hybrid.

2 of 20

H2 on Custom Rims

Apparently there was a time machine at SEMA this year. This Hummer H2 looks like it came from 2005 when ridiculously-sized circus wheels were popular. The smallest speed bump would cause serious fender damage on this truck. And really, what's the point of a Hummer if it can't go off road?

3 of 20

Decoliner

We're not exactly sure what this beast is. Is it an Art Deco boat-bus-plane mashup? It's certainly ugly, but we admit, it's a cool kind of ugly.

4 of 20

Save Mart Dragster

Why exactly would you build a giant shopping cart hot rod? We don't know either. But if it works, we would like a test drive, please.

5 of 20

1944 Mack Fire Truck

This just might have been one the most interesting vehicles at the show. It's a Mack fire truck powered by a transplanted Viper V-10 engine. It's totally weird, unique, and probably a lot of fun.

6 of 20

Kicker Colombia

This Honda Civic came all the way from Colombia. Admirable, but the owners should have given the elaborate paint job a little more thought. This is, pure and simple, one tasteless Honda.

7 of 20

Spider-Man Celica

Spider-Man is a great comic book. It made a fantastic movie series, too. But, just like the Broadway musical version of Spider-Man, sometimes it goes too far. For more proof, see this car painted to look like the spidey suit. Yuck.

8 of 20

Bertone Coupe Volvo

The Volvo 262C Bertone Coupe is one of the oddest European cars to come from the 1970s. At $20,000 they were expensive, too. But a hot rod, wide body Bertone Coupe Volvo pegs the weird-o-meter. It's not pretty, either.

9 of 20

Porsche Kit Car

No, this is not a Porsche Panamera that's been shortened and chopped into a convertible. That would be only moderately silly. This completely ridiculous car is actually a Nissan 350Z with a bodykit made to look like a Porsche. And that's just wrong.

10 of 20

Star Wars VW

Yes we liked VW's Star Wars commercial for the new Passat, too. But creating a tribute car to honor the ad is more than a little goofy.

11 of 20

Dropped Cup Car

Just because your wheel company sponsors racing doesn't mean all your wheels are appropriate for the race car. Twenty-four-inch wheels and low profile tires on a Cup-style race machine is just awful.

12 of 20

Custom 'Vette

At first glance this West Coast Customs modified 'Vette appears to be tastefully built. But the wheels have a weird white ring on them to make them look like whitewalls. Fake whitewalls? All the chrome trip has been changed to aluminum too, which just looks wrong to our eye. This generation of Corvette needs chrome.

13 of 20

First-Class Ugly

This one has so many themes going, it's hard to see what kind of sports car it's trying to emulate. It's got a fake Aston Martin nose, wide fenders that recall a German sport sedan, and a delicate chrome windshield like a 1960s British convertible. It all adds up to first-class ugly.

14 of 20

Mutant Motorcycle

Motorcycles were not immune to ugly at SEMA. Somewhere under all that gold and chrome is a Yamaha Stratoliner—we think. We do not dig that mutant windscreen or those ground-hugging saddle bags.

15 of 20

Lowrider Ice Cream Truck

If this ice cream truck was in our neighborhood, we'd lock our doors. And topping it off, the jack-in-the-box on the roof is smoking a cigarette. Classy.

16 of 20

Rich Evans Designs

It's hard to make a Dodge Challenger ugly, but this builder did an admirable job. The wheels look like some sort of medieval weapon, and we're not even sure what to say about the gaudy paint graphics. But the topper is, of course, the imitation Lamborghini doors.

17 of 20

Deep Sea Monster Truck

There must one or two parts on this truck that have been modified tastefully. Right? But look hard, like this guy did, and you won't find one anywhere. The serene undersea paint theme is an odd choice for a five-ton monster off-roader.

18 of 20

Spiked Cycle

You know what every motorcycles need? Animal horns. Or so this bike build thought. It was uglier in person—trust us.

19 of 20

Yeti Concept Truck

This rig was modified to plow insanely high snow drifts. There's close to four feet of ground clearance under those giant axles. It's interesting, to be sure. But not pretty.

20 of 20

Wizards Custom Bike

Forget the orange juice paint job for a moment, and take a look at the size of that front wheel. How could this bike possibly steer properly?

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